Virginia Woolf and "Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf"

Fine arts Magnet Virginia Woolf
Originally uploaded by trudeau

Adeline Virginia Woolf (1882 –1941) was an English author, essayist, publisher, and writer of short stories. She is regarded as one of the foremost modernist literary figures of the twentieth century, says Wikipedia.

Edward Franklin Albee III (1928) is an American playwright who is best known for The Zoo Story (1958), The Sandbox (1959), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1962). His works are considered well-crafted, often unsympathetic examinations of the modern condition. His early works reflect a mastery and Americanization of the Theatre of the Absurd.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? won both the 1963 Tony Award for Best Play and the 1962–63 New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play. Its stars won the 1963 Tony Awards for Best Actor and Actress as well. It was also selected for the 1963 Pulitzer Prize for Drama by that award's drama jury. However, the award's advisory board—the trustees of Columbia University—objected to the play's then-controversial use of profanity and sexual themes, and overruled the award's advisory committee, awarding no Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1963.

In this scathing satire of modern marriage, the border between fiction and reality is continually challenged. The play ends with Martha answering the titular question of who is afraid to live their life free of illusions with, "I am, George, I am." Implicitly, exposure is something everyone fears: façade (be it social or psychological), although damaging, provides a comfort.

Quotes and vocab -
- "What a dump."
- You never DO anything."
- "Braying at everyone . . . "
- "Are you sulking?"
- "You make me puke."
- "I like your anger. That's what I like about you the most."
- "I can drink you under the g*dd*mned table."
- If you existed, I'd divorce you."
- "Unless you're carrying on like a hyena, you're not having fun."
- euphemism
- "Dashed hopes; good intentions."
- "Good, better, best, bested."
- Rearranging the chromosomes. Making everyone the same."
- "The ants will take over the world."
- "I hope that was an empty bottle. You can't afford to waste a bottle of liquor on an associate professor's salary."